Register for the 2015 SUCCESS Retreat

GEAR UP is pleased to host the SUCCESS Retreat on May 3-5, 2015 at The Riverhouse in Bend. We will begin at 4:00 in the afternoon on Sunday, May 3 and end around 1:00 PM on Tuesday, May 5.

The SUCCESS Retreat is a combination of team planning time, breakout sessions, and keynote presentations. This year’s sessions will include topics such as: Understanding the Teenage Brain, Parent Engagement, Growth Mindset and Social Emotional Learning, College Fit and Selection, Technology in the Classroom, Understanding Poverty, Teaching Financial Literacy, and more.

Each cluster is invited to bring a team of eight participants to the retreat. You may, of course, attend with a smaller team. Think carefully about who attends the retreat; consider including key GEAR UP staff, key school personnel (administrators, lead teachers, counselors, etc.), key decision-makers and implementers, higher ed partners, parents, partners, or community members.

GEAR UP will provide:
• Meals (dinner on the 3rd through lunch on the 5th, not including Monday dinner)
• Room and tax (will be charged to a master account) on Sunday and Monday nights.
• Sub costs for Monday and Tuesday
• Materials

Registration:
Register online at: http://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0wfJR9bYOurQ0a9

The deadline for registration is Tuesday, March 31st.

Room Reservations:
A block of rooms has been held at The Riverhouse for Sunday, May 3 and Monday, May 4. Room and tax will be charged to a master account; individuals are responsible for all incidental charges.

GEAR UP will use the online registration form to create a rooming list for the Resort, so please make sure the correct nights are checked for each attendee. Contact us as soon as possible with any changes. Attendees of the same gender from the same cluster will be assigned to double rooms in most instances. Please write down roommate preferences in the corresponding “Attendees” field on the registration page.

Any room cancellations after April 3rd may result in charges to your school.

Driving Instructions:
http://www.riverhouse.com/bend-hotel/directions

Questions:
Contact Anne Stephens at anne.stephens@oregonstate.edu or 541-968-7189.

Statewide Meeting Evaluation Infographic

We wanted to share a few of the results from your evaluations of the Statewide Meeting a few weeks ago. Overall, the results were extremely positive, with most participants agreeing that each element of the meeting was useful and informative. We’ll use your feedback for continuous improvement, just like we hope you do with your plans.

See our one-page infographic as an example of how you might choose to display data in different ways for more visual learners.

Register for the Statewide Meeting on February 6

The Winter Statewide Meeting will be held on Friday, February 6, 2015 from 8:00am - 3:30pm at the Hilton Garden Inn Eugene/Springfield. GEAR UP coordinators, principals, community outreach/engagement personnel, and GEAR UP team members should plan to attend. There will be time for small group discussions and learning from other clusters, as well as time for principals to meet with each other. A draft agenda is available here.

Register by January 23: http://gearup.ous.edu/events/register/43

Homework: Each cluster should come prepared to give a quick description of ONE new idea or approach that everyone should hear about. This could be something you have tried, or have learned about and want to try.

• For cohort model schools, GEAR UP will provide a continental breakfast, lunch, and cover substitute costs. Schools will need to cover travel, lodging, and additional meals.
• For priority model schools, GEAR UP will cover costs for GU Coordinator (lodging on 2/5, continental breakfast and lunch on 2/6, substitute and travel). Schools will need to cover all costs associated with bringing other team members and other coordinator expenses.

If you would like to make hotel reservations for the evening before, a small block of rooms has been held at the Hilton Garden Inn until January 16. Reservations may be made online or by phone – all information is below. PLEASE NOTE: Clusters are responsible for the cost of room, tax, and incidentals. The rooms have been held at a rate of $99 for single/double.

Hotel Information
Hilton Garden Inn Eugene/Springfield
3528 Gateway Street, Springfield, Oregon 97477
541-736-3000
Group Name: OSU - Oregon GEAR UP
Group Code: OSUOG
Group Website: http://bit.ly/1G9xLBb

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Anne Stephens (541-968-7189, anne.stephens@oregonstate.edu).

Register for the Fall Meeting 2014

What: Fall GEAR UP Meeting

When: Friday, October 3, 8:30am-3:30pm

Who should attend? GEAR UP coordinators, principals, community outreach/engagement personnel, GEAR UP team members

Where: The Ford Family Foundation, 1600 NW Stewart Parkway, Roseburg, OR 97471 See map for directions.

Other details: GEAR UP will provide a continental breakfast, lunch, and substitute costs for the day of the meeting. Attendees that require lodging are responsible for making and paying for their own arrangements.
 

Homework: Be prepared to give a 3-5 minute overview of a GEAR UP success or challenge.

Registration Link: http://gearup.ous.edu/events/register/41 The deadline to register is Wednesday, September 24th.

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Anne Stephens (541-968-7189, anne_stephens@ous.edu).

GEAR UP West 2014 Registration

Registration for the GEAR UP West Conference is now open! 

http://cm.wsu.edu/gearup

 

Ford schools: GEAR UP will pay registration for 2 people from your cluster (PLUS lodging, if you present! You can submit a breakout session proposal until June 13.)

Federal schools: We'd love to see you there - you're always welcome to attend!

2014 SUCCESS Retreat Resources

This is the one-stop shop for the SUCCESS Retreat, including the agenda, presenter slides and handouts and more. Items will be added as they are available.

• Agenda
• FEDERAL Schools
• Year 6 Evaluations
• Sustainability Planning Workbook
• Priority Year 1 Planning Workbook (Word)
• Priority Year 1 Planning Workbook (Excel) 
• Priority 2013-14 Events Budgeting Document
• FORD Schools
• Year 3 Evaluations
• Year 4 Planning Workbook (Word)
• Year 4 Planning Workbook (Excel)
• Ford 2013-14 Events Budgeting Document 
• Assessing Key Goals Checklist

  

General Session Resources:

• Thursday: Education for the 21st Century: Keys to Success, Dr. William Keim
• Friday: The Three Important M's in Preparing Students for College: Money, Math and Mom, Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab
• Saturday: Empowering Youth Through a Growth Mindset, Kendra Coates

Breakout Session Resources:

• Friday:
• Cracking the Attendance Code: Proven Strategies to Increase Attendance, Ray Byzewski & Kristin Turnquist
• Charting a Path Towards Sustainability, Becky Wilson & Stephanie Carnahan
• Sustainability Planning Guide
• Resource Development & Fundraising
• Community Engagement Toolkit
• The Three Important M's in Preparing Students for College, Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab
• College and Career Readiness, Kathy Moore & Cathy Tilley
• Raising Awareness About Admissions, Adrienne Enriquez
• Sample College 
• Sample Applications: Christina, Juan, Michelle, Stephen
• Handicrap - Limiting Beliefs That Could Be Affecting The Success of Your Students, Scott Hatley
• Leading Schools in an Era of Declining Resources, Howard Johnston & Ron Williamson
• Research Into Practice: Grant Writing 

• Promising Practices:
• Building a College-Going Culture Through Advisory and Other Lesson Plans
• College Bowl
• The My Story Project
• What To Do? They Are in High School Now 
• Mock College Application Week
• Writing Team
• Successful FAFSA Completion
• New Year's FAFSA Party
• Listo Para Exito

• Saturday:
• How to Communicate GEAR UP Information to Teachers, Students, Families and Community Groups, Vicki Nishioka & Susie Snelling
• Supporting Seniors Through the Transition to College, Dana Beck & Stephanie Carnahan
• The Transition to College Toolkit
• Strategies to Support Growth Mindset Development, Kendra Coates
•  Growth Mindset Strategies
• The Power of Information: Student Engagement Through Career Development, Laura McCoid
• Advocate for Your Students: The Role of the High School in the College Admissions Process, Erica Johnson
• Reaching Even Higher, Adrienne Enriquez
• Creating a Culture of Resilience, John Lenssen

What Is Your Promising Practice?

The Promising Practices sessions have been one of our most highly rated sessions at the SUCCESS Retreats since we have included them in the agenda. After all…you are the experts and you know best what works for your particular groups of students working towards college and career readiness as a plan! These sessions give you a chance to share what you have learned, celebrate the successes you have had, and reflect on the challenges that created opportunities throughout the life of your grant.

This year, we will be doing the sessions a bit differently. We will be offering two rounds of Promising Practices breakout sessions on Friday so you will have more opportunity to attend the sessions that may have the most impact on your program. It is envisioned that each session will have 20 minutes of presentation and 10 minutes of Q&A and discussion, for a total of 30 minutes.

The Retreat Planning Team strongly encourages each cluster to submit a Promising Practice to present. One of the strengths of GEAR UP is the sharing and learning that happens across all the clusters.

Please return this form to Anne Stephens by April 4, 2014.

Register for the 2014 SUCCESS Retreat!

GEAR UP is pleased to host the SUCCESS Retreat on April 24 - April 26, 2014 at Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond. We will begin at 3:30 in the afternoon on Thursday, April 24th and end around 1:00 PM on Saturday, April 26th (with the option of staying longer for additional team time).

Each cluster is invited to bring a team of eight participants to the retreat. You may, of course, attend with a smaller team. If you would like to bring more than eight participants, please register them online under “alternate / waiting list attendees”. You will be notified by Wednesday, April 2 about whether your alternates can attend.

Think carefully about who attends the retreat; consider including key GEAR UP staff, key school personnel (administrators, lead teachers, counselors, etc.), key decision-makers and implementers, higher ed partners, parents, partners, or community members.

Save the Date! SUCCESS Retreat 2014

GEAR UP's annual planning and professional development opportunity, the always-popular SUCCESS Retreat, will be held on April 24-26 at the Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond, OR.

We will begin around 3:30 on the 24th and end with lunch on the 26th. Each cluster is invited to bring a team of up to 8. GEAR UP will provide: meals (dinner on the 24th through lunch on the 26th, not including Friday dinner), room and tax on Thursday and Friday nights, sub costs for Thursday and Friday, and materials. A registration page and draft agenda will be available later this month.

2014 Statewide Meeting Resources

It was wonderful to see and hear from so many of you at the Statewide Meeting in Eugene. Whether you attended or not, here are some resources highlighted during the day that you might find useful:

• Meeting Minutes
• Creating a SUCCESS Team: Build support, gain partnerships, and sustain your GEAR UP program by bringing together a group of educators, parents, community members and students that meets on a regular basis throughout the school year to help plan, implement and support GEAR UP activities. 
• Education Northwest/REL NW: Writing Alignment Project and College Readiness Indicator Tool
• Power Point Presentation
• PDF: Are Our High School Students Ready for College? How Can We Tell?

2014 Winter Statewide Meeting

Date: Friday, January 31, 2014

Time: 8:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast, 8:30 Meeting Begins, 3:30 Adjourn

Location: Lane Community College, Center for Meeting and Learning (Building 19), Room 102 (Campus Map and Driving Directions)

What GEAR UP will provide: Continental breakfast, lunch, substitutes 

What the school needs to provide: Travel, lodging, additional meals
Who should attend? GEAR UP coordinators, principals, community outreach/engagement personnel, GEAR UP team members.

Agenda & Discussion Questions: There will be time for small group discussions and learning from other clusters, as well as time for principals to meet with John Lenssen. 
Homework: Each cluster should come prepared to give a quick (2-3) description of ONE innovative idea or approach that everyone should hear about. This could be something you have tried, or have learned about and want to try. 
Suggested Lodging: On Franklin Blvd -- Holiday Inn Express, Phoenix Inn, Best Western New Oregon Motel and Best Western Greentree.

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Anne Stephens (541-968-7189, anne_stephens@ous.edu).

What did you learn at GEAR UP West?

 

Please share one or two ideas or resources you learned about at GEAR UP West, especially for coordinators who couldn't attend!  Add it in the comments section below.

What did you learn at the National Conference?

The GEAR UP National Conference in San Francisco featured almost 150 educational sessions, plus inspiring and informative plenary sessions.

For those who attended, take a minute to think of one thing (or one resource) that will be helpful in your GEAR UP work this year and share it in the comments below.

And for those of you who couldn't make it, read along to learn about new ideas or resources!

GEAR UP West Registration

Registration is now open for GEAR UP West, September 29 – October 1 in Portland. This regional conference is a great way to get a taste of what types of programs and activities work in promoting college access to students and parents. We will NOT have our Fall Coordinators meeting on the last day of the conference, but we encourage you and your colleagues to attend. GEAR UP will cover early bird registration for two people per cluster.

2013 SUCCESS Retreat Resources

This is the one-stop shop for all things SUCCESS Retreat, including the agenda, presenter slides and handouts and more. To view the files correctly, download as Word or PDF documents by clicking "File" and "Download".

• Agenda
• Breakout Session Descriptions
• FEDERAL Schools
• Year 5 Evaluations
• Year 6 Planning Workbook
• School Survey Results
• FORD Schools
• Year 2 Evaluations
• Year 3 Planning Workbook
• School Survey Results
• 2013-14 Events Budgeting Document

Breakout Session Resources:

• Opening Keynote: Greg Evans  
• Saturday Keynote: Randy Trani

• Friday Breakouts:
• Rural Schools Network Breakfast
• Implementing Common Core and Smarter Balanced Assessment at the Building Level – Kay Graham, Kim Scrima, Sarah Cunningham
• The Learning Revolution –  Greg Evans
• Admission 101: What Colleges Look for and How to Start Preparing Students  for Success Today – Matthew Hodges
• College Application Week: What Will Yours Look Like - Adrienne Enriquez + Panel
• 2012 Results
• Telling Your Story: Strategies for Clear and Effective Communication – Vicki Nishioka, Aisling Nagel, Stephanie Carnahan 
• Teaching with the Brain and Poverty in Mind – Dr. Jeffrey Sprague
• The Teen Brain
• Developing Positive Attitudes: A Practical Attitude Development Process for Students, Parents, School Staff and the Community – Ron Williamson, Howard Johnston
• Creating a Facebook Page - Dana Beck

• Saturday Breakouts:

• It’s a Plan! The Senior Year Toolkit – Dana Beck, Adrienne Enriquez
• AP for ALL: A How To! – Dr. Randy Trani
• Faces of Taft: Telling the Story of a School – Barton Howe, Taft High School Students
• Helping Young People Handle Change – Nanci Schneider
• Data Tapas – Get Answers to Your College Indicator Data, Evaluation Plans, and Cost Share Database Questions –Vicki Nishioka, Katie Luers, Judith Devine, Aisling Nagel, Ashley Doyle, Natalie Toogood 
• Advocacy and Storytelling – Becky Wilson 
• Sustaining GEAR UP: Lessons Learned from Previous Grantees – Anne Stephens, Crystal Parrish, Roger Berger, Lisa Shreeve  

• School Promising Practices 
• Resource & Research List

Promising Practice Presentations

Back by popular demand, each cluster will present a “promising practice” at the SUCCESS Retreat. Your cluster will have 15 minutes to present and 5 minutes for Q&A. Try to come up with something original, or a new twist on an old idea.

• The presentations will have a “breakout” format on Friday morning, with 4 clusters assigned to a room as one breakout. Your team can (and should) divide up to cover as many rooms as possible.
• Download the Promising Practices form to be completed and returned to Anne by April 15th. By completing the form, you should be well on your way to having a presentation put together! AND, Dana will use these forms to generate your cluster’s entry for the annual report. 
• The completed forms and any accompanying documents will be posted so that the information can be shared across all GEAR UP schools. So, if you have more than one promising practice to share, feel free to complete more than one form. 
• Return completed form and accompanying documents to anne_stephens@ous.edu by April 15th.

Notes:

• Coordinators do not have to be the one to present. If there is someone better suited, let him/her do it.
• Call or e-mail Anne with questions!

SUCCESS Retreat Registration

GEAR UP is pleased to host the SUCCESS Retreat on April 25 - April 27, 2013 at the Seventh Mountain Resort in Bend. We will begin at 3:30 in the afternoon on Thursday, April 25th and end around 1:00 PM on Saturday, April 27th (with the option of staying longer for additional team time).

The theme of this year’s retreat is Our Schools, Our Kids. The agenda will include breakout sessions covering topics such as: College Application Week, Senior Checklist, Developing Positive Attitudes, Preventing Summer Melt, Common Core, Learning Styles, Sustainability, and more. There will also be ample time for you to work together as a team to develop your GEAR UP plan for next year, as well as time to gather ideas from other schools.

Statewide Meeting Resources 2013

Thanks so much to everyone who attended last week's meeting in Eugene! Hearing clusters share ideas and successes was truly inspirational. Keep up the great work! For your convenience, here are some resources from the meeting:

• Meeting Minutes (thanks to Natalie for her diligent note-taking!)
• Idea Lab summer program information
• Sustainability and Community Engagement presentation and toolkit
• Oregon College Access Network conference information
• Feel free to leave a comment below on what worked well, what didn't, or anything else you want to share

Statewide Meeting Specifics

The GEAR UP Statewide Winter Meeting will be held Friday, February 1, 2013 at Lane Community College in Eugene.

• Location: We will be in Building 19, Room 102 at the main campus of Lane Community College, as in previous years. View the map, for information! Parking is free, and ample!
  
• Agenda: We will begin at 8:00 am with a continental breakfast and registration and adjourn at 3:30 pm. There will be time for small group discussions and learning from other clusters, as well as time for principals to meet with Jerry and the guys from EPI. See the full agenda.
• Homework: Each cluster should come prepared to give a quick (2-3 minutes) description of ONE innovative idea or approach that everyone should hear about. This could be something you have tried, or have learned about and want to try.
• Bring a box: We've got college swag (pennants, posters), plus resources, books, supplies (binders, etc.) and other giveaways from our move! If you requested specific items we will have these boxed and ready for you to go. Make sure you've got an empty trunk and a spare box, bag, or tote because it turns out you CAN take it with you!
• Who's paying? GEAR UP will provide breakfast, lunch, lodging the night of January 31, and substitute costs.

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Anne Stephens (541-968-7189, anne_stephens@ous.edu).

Register for the Statewide Meeting!

The GEAR UP Statewide Winter Meeting will be held Friday, February 1, 2013 at Lane Community College in Eugene. We will begin at 8:00 with a continental breakfast and registration and adjourn at 3:30. GEAR UP will provide breakfast, lunch, lodging the night of January 31, and substitute costs. There will be time for small group discussions and learning from other clusters, as well as time for principals to meet with Jerry and the guys from EPI. See the full agenda; registration is available at: http://gearup.ous.edu/events/register/33